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Archive:
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| CD Reviews Music & Spoken Word |
| THE AMERICAN GIRLS Like The Movies, Only Slower Trauma Records The American Girls demonstrate how one element can change the entire dynamic of music. For AG, that element is a trumpet, added into standard rock instrumentation. Without the trumpet, AG sound like fairly standard alt-rock. But as soon as the horn comes in, they suddenly veer into Burt Bacharach territory. In some places, this creates some very interesting musical contrasts; other parts of LIKE THE MOVIES... only sound schizophrenic. Actually, the trumpet is very well integrated into the AG sound, so well that at times the distorted guitar solos sound out of place. But for much of this CD the elements do blend rather than clash, creating a unique new synthesis of crafted pop and wild rock. The American Girls are definitely exploring, and creating, new musical territory. The American Girls are aided in this quest by strong songwriting. They have obviously studied the structures of mid-60s pop, and recreate the style quite well. Like The Movies... abounds in catchy, bouncy melodies and hooks. Many of these songs will stick with you. If you, like myself, enjoy musicians who try to do something new with the same old forms, you will enjoy LIKE THE MOVIES, ONLY SLOWER. G. Murray Thomas |
| DR. DEMENTO'S 30th Anniversay Collection, 2-CDs Rhino One of the great things about having a memory is using it. The latest in a series of celebratory collections from Dr. Demento (the alter ego of musicologist Barry Hansen) serves as a reminder of this fact for me. I grew up listening to K-Tel Funky Favorites and Wacky Classics my parents had brought home from some car wash near whatever Shakey"s Pizza Parlor they were picking up dinner at. I first stumbled across the good Doctor"s radio show back in the 70's, and recognized immediately a kinship between his own mindset and that of my household -- a position best summarized by Reader's Digest: laughter is the best medicine. This collection marks the third such two-disc extravaganza which Dr. Demento has offered. These compilations have all proven much more interesting and satisfying than the several single-disc forays which Rhino and the Doctor have released together. This collection, like both the 20th and 25th Anniversary Collections before it, approximates the carefully controlled mayhem of the weekly syndicated radio show which it celebrates. There is a strange focus which organizes the songs in the show, and likewise this widespread conglomeration of tunes and comedic routines. Songs spanning nearly 50 years of recording weave together well and make listening to this collection from start to finish a very enjoyable experience. The 42 songs and routines include some previously unreleased gems, as well as familiar classics and hard to find fare. National Lampoon"s "Deteriorata", which manages to poke fun at late sixties hippie philosophy and utilize Melissa Manchester on background vocals, rests alongside The Coaster"s 50"s hit "Charlie Brown". Leonard Nimoy sings about his favorite Hobbit in "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins", followed by the hard rock stylings of Ozzy Fudd on the previously unreleased "Kill The Wabbit". Bowser & Blue poke fun at Bob Dylan with the double-entendre-laden "Polka Dot Undies", and then Brian Hyland offers up the 1960 beach classic "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini". Chuck Berry, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Mad Magazine"s Alfred E. Neuman all contribute material as well. And that"s just the first disc. The second disc features the philosophical ranting of The Frantics on "You Were Speeding", and the refrigeratorial musings of George Carlin on the Dr. Demento staple "Ice Box Man". The Toyes chime in with perennial reggae chuckler "Smoke Two Joints," and Travesty, Ltd. explains what a "Rock and Roll Doctor" does. Monty Python, Billy Crystal, Loudon Wainwright III and C.W. McCall all join in. And while the first disc is a bit stronger than the second, overall the collection boasts an amazing variety of truly funny material. Dr. Demento has, through changing climates, managed to stay on the radio for 30 years; as he celebrates another milestone, here"s hoping he"s on for at least 5 more years so we can look forward to the 35th Anniversary Collection. Robert Wynne |
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| GRAN TORINO Two 26.2 Music With a fantastically catchy sound and approach, Gran Torino shake your booty to no abandon. With equal parts R&B, ska, old time soul and some good 'ol rock and roll, this nine-piece band are a spiritual awakening (of sorts!) to music listeners in the N' Sync/Backstreet Boys/ Britney Spears world of sell sell sell and buy buy buy. Songs such as the instrumental masterpiece that is Coup d'etat showcase the many talents that this band is capable of performing both on record and live. "Phyliss" semi-samples a 1970's soul track that the Beastie Boys had a foresight to sample back in 1989 while "Moments With You" cradles us with so much loneliness and sadness that you will have to reach for that dusty box of tissue paper. Heartbreak and love seem to be the themes of this great album. Thank the creator for our humanity. Carlos "Cake" Nunez |
| REES SHAD Little Brown Book Sweetfish Records LITTLE BROWN BOOK is presented as scribblings from a journal, a concept made explicit on the title track. "Are they worth the wood they're on?/ Are they worth their ink?" he asks. "This is how I feel/ Expression is a chance I take." The songs do have a strong diary vibe -- personal musings, memories and expressions of love. However, few journals contain such well-crafted songs in their pages. Shad is clean, concise and clever in both his musical and lyrical expression. His tunes capture the emotions of the words, from the wistfulness of "Sigh Away" to the compassion of "Let Your Heart Flow" to the haunting atmosphere of "I See Ghosts." Still, like many a journal, Shad is occasionally too personal, discussing topics which only have meaning for him. Luckily, these moments are few, and for the most part he brings us wonderfully into his world. G. Murray Thomas |
| SECTOR 9 Interplanetary Escape Vehicle Landslide Out on a small indie label from Atlanta, Georgia, this quartet delivers spacey, jazzy, progressive rock for the Rush fans that just can't get away from MOVING PICTURES or SIGNALS (by...ahem...Rush). Of course, Sector 9 don't have a lyricist (or a vocalist) like Neil Peart, but they do a pretty rad job of leaving the listener feeling like a stoned-out hippie at a 1975 Led Zeppelin concert or at Miles Davis' BITCHES BREW release party. Featured cuts with pizazz: "Moon Socket, "Hubble" and "Evasive Manuvers.". Carlos "Cake" Nunez |
| THE WILD COLONIALS Reel Life Vol. #1 Chromatic Records For my money, the high point of the Wild Colonial's REEL LIFE, VOL. #1, is the blues-laden rendition of Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Anything But Love," which features vocals and guitar by blues great Dr. John. It was at about this point when I realized that, something in my subconscious should be attaching this to a movie: FLIRTING WITH DISASER, featuring Patricia Arquette and Ben Stiller. Truth is, I haven't seen it. I haven't seen ANY of the movies on this compilation of songs the Wild Colonials have done for the silver screen. Despite that odd realization, this is an eminently listenable album, and the Colonials are highly talented. One minute, on "The Battle Won," they're laying out a lovely, violin driven melody worthy of the great Barber (of "Adagio for Strings" fame) and then later, they take a blues classic like Muddy Water's "Evil" and make it their own. They even make Tom Jones' trite "It's Not Unusual" fresh again, and that's a song that's been beaten into the ground and danced on a few times. This album is brooding, with a touch of malevolence and bile behind it that propels the music, washes down your throat like a shot of Johnny Walker Black Label. Nice and smooth, burning your insides just enough to remind you how to really feel it. Victor D. Infante |
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